Immorality of Morals
by MooMoo-Sama
Summary: [Movieverse]It had been a slim chance. A slim chance that she would find him, a slim chance that he wouldn’t kill her, a slim chance that they’d become friends, and a slim chance for survival.[Full summary inside]
1. The Hunt

**Disclaimer**-Transformers and all recognizable characters are property of Hasbro. As in I don't own them. All plots and original characters are property of me, myself, and the people in my head. We don't let other people use them because it's not cool. So don't steal them, because you really don't want to piss us off.

* * *

**Title**-Immorality of Morals

**Author**- MooMoo-Sama

**Rating**- T

**Summary**- It had been a slim chance. A slim chance that she would find him, a slim chance that he wouldn't kill her, a slim chance that they'd become friends, and a slim chance for survival. But how can you choose what's right or wrong in a war that you shouldn't be in? Meet her dilemma.

**Author Notes**- Yes, another story to add to the upswing in Transformers fan fiction since the '07 movie. This baby has been sitting in my brain for awhile, and I decided to get moving on it before the next movie comes out. I promise there's a plot. So, read and review and enjoy the first installment of..

* * *

Immorality of Morals

Chapter One

* * *

'Frag them. Frag those rusting pieces of pit-spawn. Frag the stinking little flesh bags. Wait till I catch up with them. Cannon fodder, all of them.'

He was alone. The only one left on this minuscule speck of rock that was called a planet. Megatron was dead. His partner, as far as he knew, had fallen. And he'd seen the remains of the other Decepticons himself. All except Starscream. But it didn't take an intelligent mech to know that he was probably in deep space by now.

So that left him here alone.

The only Decepticon on Earth.

Stuck with a slew of Autobots, which included Optimus Prime.

'Slagging piles of scrap.'

The police car accelerated further, allowing him to tear through the silent back roads of Tranquility, California. The turns were hairpin, and the Mustang took them with screeching tires. The anger felt good, pulsing through his systems like the finest high grade. He was close.

That day, on the Freeway, was the last time he'd seen another Decepticon functioning. Swerving off the roads in order to not only avoid the flesh-things but to try and gain ground had seemed like a plan at the time. Now it only made him look like Starscream, a coward.

The engine roared violently as another turn was made. Speed increased as the car tore down the deserted mountain road. Scanners working over time, he knew he was close. So close!

It had been his plan to take down the Prime. He'd never been the biggest mech, but he knew he was strong and he was smart. Smarter then many of his cohorts at the very least. Sure, not as large as the other mechs, but he could stand against Devastator and out plan Blackout. Bonecrusher was suppose to occupy the Autobot leader until he came around, surrounding and separating him, and then the battle would have been easy.

When they flew over the edge of the freeway, he'd accepted it as a foreseeable flaw and had wove his way down, passing over torn asphalt and plowing through the humans who'd tried to flag him down for assistance. It had taken him less than a few breems to get down to the battle.

But Bonecrusher had already shown exactly why Optimus Prime was still alive after vorns of battle.

Looking at the remains, he'd taken the time to formulate a plan. His processor was at full speed, like his engines, as he rode towards Mission City with murderous intent. He, like the others, used his chosen form to his advantage. The humans trusted him, and with skill he'd blended into the back allies.

It was a straight shot from the mountain side, a curving dusty road led onto the newer paved path. The dark and the quite of the night was perfect for his attack. They were relaxed, so sure of their safety now that their enemies were beaten.

'Presumptuous little piles of virus..'

His thoughts trailed off from sheer rage. His speedometer, had anyone been in his interior, was touching the far right of the dial. There was no moon, only distant stars lit the road. With his headlights off he was a wraith in the darkness. His scanners had picked them out, and he'd been tailing the two companions for weeks.

At times there was another member of their party. The femme who'd been drawn into the war. They were alone now though, frequenting a spot that they made the mistake of gathering often. The momentum from coming off a mountain was helping to demolish the distance between himself and the yellow Camaro and his ward.

He'd watched the final battle with trepidation. He watched as they spoke to the remains of Megatron, far to late to be of any help. He was no coward, but he knew how to pick his battles and this was not the time to try to take on the remaining Autobots. They'd been so relaxed, so pleased with themselves. Only one of their number, the overzealous Jazz, had fallen. Bumblebee was severely damaged, but there was no way he could attack with the others around. So he simply faded into the chaos.

Now was the time.

Every sense seemed to be working on overdrive as he came upon them. He relished in the shrill human screams of fear, the look of terror, the absolute terror that his mere appearance had. He gave them no warning, transforming as he flew at them, slamming into the other car with outstretched arms. The area wasn't someplace he would've chosen, but it was an equal playing field. Flat, with no cover, and the rock supporting them ended abruptly as it over looked a lake.

He had to give Bumblebee credit for his reaction time. He managed to toss the human from his hood before he'd been hit. Though in trying to protect his filthy pet he'd sacrificed precious time. Desperately, the Camaro tried to transform. He was already clawing at his panels though, taking incredible pleasure in the raspy screams beneath him.

The fool Autobot was making this too easy. In an almost genial fashion he tore at exposed wires and pumps, watching Bumblebee struggle in his half transformed state. A sharp pain at the back of his head got his attention though.

"Hey! Fight fair you over grown go-cart!"

LadiesMan217 was striking him with hunks of earth. Rocks. With an annoyed snarl from his terrible mouth, he swiped a massive hand towards the human. He literally flew through the air and then struck the earth roughly. The Decepticon chuckled. He'd have his fun with the human later.

"Barricade!" a rasp called the mech.

Red optics turned towards a face full of cannon. Bumblebee had managed to transform his arm, and Barricade rolled off his prey as the shots were fired. The yellow mech took the opportunity to finish transforming, and by the time Barricade had regained his footing the battle mask was in place. Surprisingly, he wasn't as bothered as before. Now it was time for the battle he'd missed.

"Calling all Autobots! Decepticon assault at the Overlook. Assistance needed!"

The call over the Autobot com system only enraged the black and white mech. With a snarling threat in Cybertronian he began to fire on the only slightly smaller unit as he ran forward. Bumblebee took a shot to the shoulder panel before swerving out of the way of fire. With a swift movement he met Barricade half way and their collision scattered sparks all over the ground.

Trading blows, they rolled over the ground like an earthquake. It was far to close quarters to use his cannons, so Barricade settled for ripping the yellow 'bot apart piece by piece. He stunned his opponent with a blow to the side of his head and took the chance to start tearing at the armor covering youngers' spark.

Apparently though, Bumblebee didn't share his sentiments about close quarters.

A terrible pain ripped through the dark mech. He'd taken a point blank shot to the elbow joint of his left arm. It hung barely by a few wires and strips of steaming armor. Swearing in pain, even going so far as using a few Earth insults, Barricade staggered away.

Standing as Bumblebee began to roll to his feet his sensors told him of an oncoming vehicle. It was roaring towards them at high speeds and there was no way that it was a human driving a lifeless shell. Blocking the pain, he began to fire his remaining cannon as he backed toward the road. He'd be damned if he didn't have some form of victory from this.

Bumblebee had barely made it to his knees when he was hit by Barricade's barrage. He hit the ground hard, and Barricade continued to fire. The small yellow frame shook as he was fired on repeatedly. The dark mech barely registered the screaming human, only the sound of tires over dirt drawing his attention from the yellow Camaro. Bumblebee didn't rise again.

_'Slag..'_ his mind hissed. 

Ironhide stood before him in all his massive, gun toting glory. It didn't take a breem before a massive cannon was aimed in his direction. A larger human male was scuttling towards Bumblebee's pet, who in turn was hovering over the sparking body of his guardian.

Barricade took a defensive stance, his path to the road effectively blocked. Behind Ironhide another set of lights was bearing down on the them, and the sound of a rig roaring toward them told the dark mech it was time to go. There was no way he could stand against the war-monger and the Prime. He wouldn't even be able to put up a fight in this condition. His internal systems were blaring at him, telling him that he needed repairs.

Just as he prepared to transform and show the Autobots how fast he could really move though, the large grey mech began to fire as if he knew the Decepticons intent. The light show he gave was spectacular at the very least.

He was only able to avoid a few, dancing backwards like the battle trained soldier that he was. The shots were mainly at his legs and arms, non fatal. It was clear Ironhide wasn't aiming to kill, most likely the Prime's decision.

A decision which would likely change once they took a good scan of their scout.

Finally a shot hit. Whereas before there was a burst of pain in his arm, this was a stinging numbness that hit his right leg. Unable to support his weight, his leg collapsed beneath him. He leaned heavily on his left arm in a bowing stance, vicious teeth grinding if for no other purpose then to show his frustration. He wavered slightly, as another shot was charged and the silhouette of Prime became visible before making a split second decision.

He'd seen the remains of Bonecrusher, run through. The carcass of Devastator and the smoking wreck that was Blackout.

He wouldn't give this scum the honor of destroying him.

"Barricade.. You'll be coming with us." said Prime.

"I decline your offer Autobot, keep your sentiment to yourself!" was the snarled reply.

He was at the edge of the cliff, and the Autobots blocked his original route. With a few pop shots fired, Barricade let his weight swing backward and he was falling, falling, falling into the darkness of the night. The only sounds that chased him was a rough laugh that echoed around him.

His last fading thought was he was hearing his own laughter.

* * *

End Chapter


	2. The Pulse

**Disclaimer**- Transformers and all recognizable characters are property of Hasbro. As in I don't own them. All plots and original characters are property of me, myself, and the people in my head. We don't let other people use them because it's not cool. So don't steal them, because you really don't want to piss us off.

* * *

**Title**-Immorality of Morals 

**Author**- MooMoo-Sama

**Rating**- T

**Summary**- It had been a slim chance. A slim chance that she would find him, a slim chance that he wouldn't kill her, a slim chance that they'd become friends, and a slim chance for survival. But how can you choose what's right or wrong in a war that you shouldn't be in? Meet her dilemma.

**Author Notes**- Enter the OC! I think this is the longest I've spent developing any one character, and I hope it shows. Things may be a bit choppy at first, but all in all I'm happy with this chapter.

Thanks to all my reviewers, I'm glad that this fic is being is well revived. Also, I plan on this being a multi chapter fic that is going far into the future. So don't worry about a lack of reading. I have nearly 200 hits on this already, which I'm going to take as a good sign that I'm doing something right.

Though a review here and there wouldn't hurt either.

Anyhow. It is my pleasure to bring you the second installment of..

* * *

**Immorality of Morals**

Chapter Two

* * *

The crowd was all murmurs, shifting in their seats and staring down at the track hungrily. This was National Level, no joking or playing, even though it was only high school students competing. Scouts littered the audience and the pressure of the room was near unbearable. The atmosphere weighed heavily with expectations from every side. Spectators bearing down on athletes and demanding their entertainment like packs of hungry wolves. 

Some had cracked under the pressure, they were sweating bullets without having run at all. Eyes wild and nerves on end, they moved with an anxiousness, trying to shake the adrenaline and fear out of their systems before it ruined them totally. Eyes darting to the crowds, already having lost just by losing focus.

She pitied them slightly. These girls had the same dream she did. They were here to achieve the same goal as her, and through hard work and training they'd come so close to victory that it was frightening to them to see it standing before them. She wanted to say that she'd been there once, been in their shoes and known their feelings.

But honestly, if she'd ever sucked so bad her brain probably had a mental block in place to stop her from going into shock.

Rolling her eyes, 'Fast-forward' moved towards the starting line languidly. She was easily the tallest there, and her attitude alone was making the girls around her either cower in fear or make asses of themselves by trying to look tough in her shadow.

It was obnoxious to say the least.

She didn't spare the crowd another glance as she reached her mark, bending and stretching out the muscles in her legs. More to keep her warm then anything, she'd already warmed herself up well enough before stepping onto the track. Hair tied back, she absently noted the short tail that stuck out from the back of her head. Most of the girls around her had some length to their hair, probably an effort to make their lean bodies look more appealing.

Runners, serious runners, tended to lack a certain voluptuousness. They were meant to be lean and fit, less curve and more line. But these were the young ones, the ones who worried about boys and appearances. In an effort to bring out more of a feminine quality they went through lengths that Fast-forward couldn't bother with.

The teen gave a rather un-lady like snort.

Most of the other girls were copying her motions, bending this way and that. A small blonde at the end was smiling into the crowd charmingly and Fast-forward snorted again. There was one person knocked off her competition list.

Cameras were crowding all over the place. Reporters and photographers were talking to coaches, interviewing family, and generally being prying as possible. If you didn't learn to ignore the bustle you weren't going to last.

Now wasn't really the time to think about how much her peers lacked though.

Fast-forward continued her movements, stretching as far as possible. Her breaths were even and controlled, and slowly the world around her became muffled. Unlike the girls around her though, she wasn't humming to herself or jamming something in her ears to concentrate. Rather, she gradually grew more blank. Camera's flashed in her direction, catching what was known as the infamous 'Button Pressing' cycle.

She straightened slowly, expression cold and almost frightening. Her top, skin tight, rode slightly up her stomach but she paid no mind as they were called to their marks. The others scurried to their positions by comparison to her movements, almost as if she were merely following the crowd rather than listening.

Fast-forwards movements were slow, almost as if she'd been put into slow motion. The teen was the last to reach her mark. She was on the outside lane today, her favorite spot, and her body seemed to fold down on itself as she went to the ready position.

She could feel the heartbeats around her as the crowd hushed like a movie theater when the lights dimmed. The track was warm, and it told her all she needed to know. It let her feel what it felt, like she was sinking into the ground. The pressure of the weight bearing down on it, the sweat dripping down and the blood hammering through the veins of those perched on its flesh. Fast-forward could hear the adrenaline rushing though the room like a twister, the reek of fear and the weight of hope.

Suddenly though, it was gone from the room and the silence was deafening, The adrenaline lay dormant in her veins, and her heart stopped beating all together. Like the world was on pause for her, and everything was waiting. Her own voice ran in circles in her mind, telling her what needed to be done, when finally she heard it.

"The world is yours, Nessa-baby, show me what 'cha got."

The pistol went off.

Then it all came back. The blood was pounding in beat with every heart, adrenaline flying and the heat of the room expanding. Except it wasn't everyone else now, but her and only her. The rest were non-existent. The track sung it's pleasure, pushing her forward with each step and promising her the world. The crowd, she was sure, was screaming, but it fell on deaf ears. Her legs ate the ground, each step bringing her closer to freedom.

Some people said that they were flying when they ran, but she wasn't into that delusion. Who needed flying when you were suddenly in control of the earth itself? The ground pulsing beneath you and the pleasure of knowing it's nothing but your own skill that brings you ahead of everything. Knowing that the wind pushing against you was of your own creation, and nothing could hold you back. It was enough to loose yourself.

Then it was over.

Fast-forward slowed only after her mind caught up with the rest of her body. The rest of the people around her came back in a flash. The room was screaming and she slowed to a trot to walk off her steam. It was several seconds more before the rest of the girls started to cross the finish line. She absently noted the blonde girl who let her muscles cool was limping behind the pack.

Several nods of congratulation were sent her way, which she returned like the sportsman she was. She closed her eyes, enjoying the lingering feeling of freedom before bodies began to slam into her.

Fast-forward eyed her mother who was pulling a sob act all over her. Her agent and his assistant came up next, both giving her hugs and back pats which made her cringe. Finally it was the coach. He knew far better than to touch her. He simply caught her eye and made a mild grunt before turning to face the pack of hungry reporters.

They began to launch off questions, which her little entourage answered with ease. Be it about her shoe size (ten and a half) or weather she was going to participate at the international meet (of course she is!). Any too personal questions were diverted (why are you taking so long, you're not getting any younger) and generally she stood there without having to do anything more then blink.

Her mind was trailing, as usual, and she wondered if there were any hot pockets waiting for her in the freezer. There was one question that got her attention though, just as things were winding down.

"So, now, after winning that National Teens Two-hundred Meter, you are considered the fastest youth in the country! You are at your peak, and we know from your coach that your going to be taking time to wind down and train for the International Competition."

Other reporters watched the spokesperson with smiles, nodding to themselves to confirm what was said.

"Vanessa 'Fast-forward' Zeiez, what do you plan to do off the track?"

Fast-forward smiled slightly, waving off her agent before he spoke in her stead. The crowd of reporters looked on excitedly as she stepped forward. It was a rare day when they actually got a comment from her mouth.

"Yeah, I have a plan. I'm going to go follow some dreams. Maybe do a little 'myth' hunting."

With that, she turned and walked to the locker rooms, leaving her coach chuckling and her agent and mother frothing at the mouth.

* * *

"What the hell Vanessa! I thought we decided that you weren't doing this!" 

Fast-forward, AKA Vanessa (or was it vice-versa?) rolled her eyes heavenward. Her agent was pitching a fit, and her mother was probably hot on his heels. She didn't bother to really listen, choosing to instead rummage though the freezer for her own weakness amongst food.

Hot pockets, the kryptonite of the mighty.

She popped the little roll of deliciousness into the microwave, setting the timer and watching it rotate without really acknowledging the chatter behind her. Her agent was an average man in every aspect. He was shorter than her, which was amusing, and while not fat wasn't exactly skinny.

"Greg, just because I don't continue to argue.." she started, pulling the lukewarm pocket from the microwave "Well, that doesn't mean that I'd changed my mind. I was simply worrying about your heart." she shot him a small fake smile and walked out of the kitchen.

The penthouse was large and lavish, the complete conformity of every 'rich people' fantasy. White walls, black leather couches, plasma screen and plush carpets. She was still in her running gear, having not bothered to change in the locker rooms and just head home. Kicking off her shoes she flopped over the back of the couch, sprawling over the cushions.

"Honey, now isn't the time to be sarcastic. This is your future we're talking about." another voice joined the conversation.

Ms. Zeiz an undeniably beautiful woman. She was sinking gracefully into her forties, her hair only just starting to show silver strands. But against the fiery auburn color that both mother and daughter shared, it highlighted her face more. She was tall, like her daughter, but only standing at five nine gave the height advantage to her offspring.

Her face was lined very lightly, and with large bright eyes she looked far younger then her forty-four years. She looked sweet and fair, the perfect mother. Always dressed well, smelling good, all that jazz. The tabloids ate it up.

"Thus the basis of my decision." Vanessa called back, not bothering to look up from her snack. Vanessa took up the whole couch by herself, legs stretching out to hang over the arm.

"This is my life. At the risk of sounding like a melodramatic teenager, I'd like to make my own choices. I mean, I'm fighting against fate here, my agent isn't making it any easier." she bit hungrily into her snack.

"But, this… obsession you have has got to stop!"

Vanessa sat up suddenly, eyeing her mother . "My dad would have thought it was awesome." she said lowly.

As if on cue, her mothers eyes started to water. The teen plowed on though. "Plus, this is my relax period before I start training again. It's not like I'm gong to be doing anything else for awhile."

She moved from the couch, sauntering towards her room with all intents on taking a shower. As she passed the kitchen she dropped her snack on the counter, letting it cool further. Expectedly Greg, Alyssa, and her mother followed like trained pets. Greg was a good agent, and his little assistant Alyssa followed him around like she was on a leash too.

She was a small thing, volumes of curly brown hair and a air of natural cuteness. She was only twenty-two, and she seemed to be the only assistant able to handle her boss who was notorious for destroying the hopes of the young, and able to handle the Zeiz family. That alone should get her a peace prize. Vanessa liked her, she was easy to relate to and probably the only other female she saw remotely near her age that she wasn't trying to beat in a race.

"Where are the twins?" Vanessa asked as they moved.

"They're with their tutor right now." the brunette answered

"Huh, tell them I'm home when they're all done with what ever they're doing today. Don't want to be a distraction." she almost muttered.

"Sure Vanessa." was the chipper answer.

Her mother seemed to have the fight whipped out of her at the mention of her late husband. She stopped at her daughters doorway, leaning against the frame in her two piece suit. Her mother was the CEO of one of the largest sportswear selling companies. Her daughter served as the lead promotion, considering all of her equipment was designed by the company.

"If.. if this is really what you want." she finally cracked. With a soft nod she continued past her daughters room towards her own. Probably to harass her own assistant on the phone. Greg knew he'd lost now, and Vanessa had to give him kudos for continuing to try.

"What about the commercials? You have a date set with Gatorade."

Her room was large, but entirely unlived in. Everything about it was blank. She shuffled around, trying to remember where her things were. So often she was gone that it was her own room that was alien. Alyssa moved forward and opened up a top drawer in an unused dresser, handing the tall girl a small blue bag. Vanessa smiled her thanks before turning her back completely on Greg.

"Tastes like piss anyway.." she muttered, searching through her bathroom bag.

" If you wander off to California, how are we supposed to meet with everyone?" Greg was getting hysterical.

Vanessa rolled her eyes as she starting walking to the bathroom connected to her room. "Listen, the only things you should be asking me right now is when and where. Stop nagging, I already have a mother, and you're starting to piss me off." she called, her voice becoming hard. Greg's mouth snapped closed. He took a deep shuddering breath, as if holding back his temper.

"Done? Good. Now make yourself useful and find me a place to live."

She stopped, spinning on a pivot at the bathroom door. Alyssa looked back and forth between her two bosses. Without hesitation she stepped between them, interrupting the glaring contest.

"Did you have any place in mind Vanessa?" she asked, ignoring the tension.

The teen in question looked thoughtful.

"Well, not the city. I'd actually like someplace with a yard, maybe backyard if that's possible. Small, since it's only going to be me." she eyed Greg as if to reinforce her statement. "Oh, and I want to be signed up in the local high-school."

Alyssa looked up curiously from the notepad she'd whipped out to take notes. "Why?"

"Well, technically I haven't finished my senior year. I don't mind going over stuff I've done." her voice was nonchalant, but Alyssa knew her well enough not to ask anymore questions about schooling.

"Anything else Vanessa?"

The teen shrugged, turning slightly, but stopped. "Yeah, there's something else." she said. Alyssa watched her curiously.

"Make sure it's somewhere.. Tranquil."

* * *

It was degrading, an insult, to be crawling through this organic matter. Probably what humans felt like in a daily cycle. Barricade let out a sardonic chuckle. Here he was, worming his way up a mountain side, literally. If only Motorhead could see him now. 

Without the use of his left arm and right leg, he struggled through the underbrush., and still his thoughts were turned towards the infestation of humans and their slagging protectors.

Ah, the Decepticon mentality.

Still, he had to keep moving. There was a chance that he'd finally finished off Bumblebee. And if that was so he wasn't sure Prime had enough control over his troops to stop them from hunting him down, ready to avenge the fallen scout, and try to tear him bolt from bolt.

So he decided to make a hasty retreat. It had been several joors since the battle, and his scanners were on overdrive trying to find a safe base of operations. He knew without a doubt that his current base, an abandoned warehouse by the harbor, was an impossible destination to try and reach.

Unable to transform, he'd been making himself a giant eighteen foot tall target on the mountain side. But here at least there was the tree cover. Barricade couldn't be bothered enough to learn too many earth customs. If he had his was about, English would be a lost language soon.

Still, he knew when something was going to make a commotion in the primitive society. There was the slight impression that subtlety would be an issue if he decided to try and walk back to base. The chances of surviving that venture were so low that he couldn't even figure the percent.

So it was on to plan B.

The mountain he was climbing seemed mostly uninhabited with only a few human structures built in. The humans spread everywhere, like a virus, he couldn't be too picky about a clean location. Plus, most of the structures were barren of life.

The mech new he must have looked like Starscream on the receiving end of Megatrons anger. His armor was scraped and burnt, covered with organic muck. He'd long discovered that Ironhide had struck him with a form of EMP, except much stronger then the primitive earthlings could hope to create. They'd obviously been prepared to capture him, and Barricade was ashamed for them.

Take him alive? What a joke.

They were all warriors. They should know better. If you want to immobilize the enemy, make sure what ever you're shooting will never work again. Bumblebee had dealt a fair blow to his joint, and he knew that this was going to be hard to fix. Like a good soldier. He was disappointed in Ironhide though. This planet was making them soft. At this rate they'd be shooting him with water pistols at the next encounter.

Because there would be a next one, he was fragging sure of that. But it might be a bit of a wait. Barricade was on his own, wasn't exactly like he could go to the Autobots for repairs.

The thought was amusing though.

Still, there was the distant worry about how he was going to repair himself once he'd found shelter.

Movement to his left caught his optics, and the mech stiffened. How could he let something get so close? A small creature was staring at him. Quadruped, delicate looking. It's wide eyes stared at his massive frame and it shuddered. Barricade prepared to silence it's scream, reaching out his working arm towards it. It was small, there was no way it could survive if he caught it.

Rather then scream though, it stepped forward to meet his hand. The coarse hairs of it's body gleamed in the fading sunlight and it pressed it's cold respiration passage to his finger. He watched as it back away slowly, the short appendage near it's flank flicking.

Behind it, the larger of what appeared to be the same species appeared. It too stared at Barricade, tensing, before darting off. The smaller stayed though. Barricade reached forward, prodding it's side with surprising gentleness. The beast stumbled under the weight before it turned and followed the larger of it's kind quickly, not looking back at the confused mech.

_'What the Pit was that?'_ he wondered. 

Grudgingly, he used the humans 'internet'. Millions of answers came from his search, and he quickly narrowed it down to the exact information he wanted. Deer. A ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. He trailed his searches, taking the information in almost instantly, before disregarding the situation.

He hadn't been aware that there were creatures alive that were dumber then humans. This 'Fawn' was far to trusting. Perhaps it had a glitch, considering that they were supposed to be skittish. He was surprised, considering how small this planet was, that they could survive with all the humans about.

This planet could barely sustain life as it was, how could it hope fit anything else? Including Cybertronians. A stray thought entered his processor and he stopped his movement slowly, curiosity piqued as he searched 'mammals'. The magnitude of results was distracting to say the least.

So many creatures that were to be destroyed.

What a useless planet.

Barricade hissed unhappily as his arm started to smoke lightly. Perhaps he was delirious, but the depressing mirth wasn't helping his situation any. With a shake of his head the mech concentrated again on his trek. He didn't have any time to waste.

The Autobots could be gaining, and he was nowhere near the peak of this mountain.

* * *

**End Chapter**


	3. The Homestead

**Disclaimer**-Transformers and all recognizable characters are property of Hasbro. As in I don't own them. All plots and original characters are property of me, myself, and the people in my head. We don't let other people use them because it's not cool. So don't steal them, because you really don't want to piss us off.

* * *

**Title**-Immorality of Morals

**Author**- MooMoo-Sama

**Rating**- T

**Summary**- It had been a slim chance. A slim chance that she would find him, a slim chance that he wouldn't kill her, a slim chance that they'd become friends, and a slim chance for survival. But how can you choose what's right or wrong in a war that you shouldn't be in? Meet her dilemma.

**Author Notes**- I suppose you could call this a filler chapter. I'm not really happy with it, despite all the time it's taken. But that's how it goes, eh? Takes longer to write things outside the plot then it takes to write the juicy parts. Still, like in my past chapters, there are quite a few bits of info that will come into play later.

_--This note became rather long so it's been moved to the end of the chapter--_

* * *

**Immorality of Morals**

Chapter Three

* * *

Vanessa wavered. Literally, she was wavering in a doorway. Not an activity she partook in often. 

"Have you ever heard of the term ostentatious?" she asked after several seconds of silence, her voice thick with sarcasm.

She'd been wary as they landed in the massive Mission City. There was no way she could deal with city life. No matter how badly she wanted to go chasing stray facts. After New York, her tolerance for it was next to nil, and it was bad enough that her mother had all her penthouses in large cities.

The traffic in Mission City had been absurd, reconstruction still taking place after several months since the 'incident'. The incident that no one had a steady story about. Needless to say she'd been glued to her window, inspecting everything and snapping shots of construction crews off her camera. Fast-forward had been constantly calling stops to her assistant, getting out of the car for more angles.

After leaving the city limits though, they'd been in for a several hour drive until they skirted around a much calmer city and taken to the hills. After passing suburbia the houses had grown steadily farther apart and far more glamorous. Every building had seemed to come out of an episode of Cribs, and she didn't want the same incident as Florida.

Massive mansion. One person.

Paranoia extraordinaire.

But when the young assistant had finally stopped the car it was in no mansion. As a matter of a fact, it was in the middle of nowhere. She had no idea where the city she'd passed earlier was, and she had the distinct impression that Alyssa was going out of the way to be theatrical.

The house was large, but large in a way that it gave a single occupant plenty of room. Which was good. But the brunette had a taste for the lavish. A taste she insisted on 'spreading' to the members of the Zeiez clan. Spreading or forcing.

Therefore, what the home lacked in size it made up for in décor. The end result was one teenage girl gawking in a doorway whilst an imp fluttered around her excited at the mere notion of someone witnessing her amazing taste.

Alyssa merely giggled at the comment, stepping further into the room and beginning her usual chatter. The teen had no choice but to follow, dropping her bags in the doorway carelessly. The house was large, though unlike her mothers cluttered yet unlived in penthouses it was spacious and open.

There were no real doorways anywhere, besides the front door at least. The entire house was set up like a studio apartment, with a loft added in to provide even more room in the form of a second floor. The entire place was very 'mod' in Alyssa's terms. The floors were dark, possibly black marble, and the walls wood panels.

The kitchen was tucked off to the side, a half wall with the center missing as the only separation from the rest of the room. Every countertop was the same dark stone as the floor, and every appliance chrome. An island stood in the middle, with a potholder overhead. Vanessa eyed it warily. With her height, she was sure to have several unwanted meetings with the pots and pans. All of which looked painful.

She followed Alyssa to the left, down a short semi-hall and into the biggest bathroom she'd ever seen. A massive stall shower dominated the back right corner of the room, a toilet sitting tucked next to it to the left. Just inside the doorway itself was a movie star mirror and sink set up. Towards the end of the room was a massive tub.

"Is that a jacuzzi?"

Alyssa looked up, startled out of her explanation of the room. She looked curiously at what her boss was pointing at and nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I said that." she said slowly.

"Oh." Vanessa shrugged, turning suddenly from the room without letting the assistant finish the explanation.

Exasperated, she scurried behind the six foot runner. Vanessa turned into the living room and eyed it. The furniture was comfortable looking, the rug it sat on plush. It was faced towards the large screen set into the wall, a rectangle glass coffee table situated in-between the sofa's. On it were two remotes, one obviously for the TV.

It was in this room that the loft second floor looked over. It covered half the ceiling space, a wood railing lining the perimeter of the loft standing as it's only warning to the drop beyond it. The teen was looking up at it, perhaps getting ready to head up the wide stairs to take a look. She stopped short though as she noticed something.

"Yo, what's with the curtains?" she asked, turning to Alyssa.

Indeed, the entire south facing wall was covered with a thick curtain. The assistant smiled. "Watch this.." she murmured, walking forward to grab the second remote from the table. With a click, the curtains began to draw back. Vanessa's breath left her in a woosh.

The whole wall was a window, thin black frames spaced vertically to support the glass barely making a difference to the view. The house had been built off the side of a mountain, and the south end faced towards the downward slope, providing a view of the valley below and the small city nestled in it.

"That's where the city went." the redhead muttered. It wasn't like her to show any sort of sentiment for forms of beauty. But her wide eyes showed her appreciation more then any words could.

"Yeah.." Alyssa said, a smile in her voice. This was the one of the main reasons she'd made the pricy purchase. There were few times in life that Vanessa got to relax. Be it her schedule, the demands of those around her, or her own design.

Being named the fastest teen in the country wasn't something that just happened. She trained long, and she trained hard to get where she was. As stubborn and picky as she was, there were few times she wound down long enough to enjoy the simple things in life. Now, with the upswing in her career and her mothers work, Alyssa doubted the teen had even had enough air to breathe in the last few months. Vanessa had become harder to deal with as she aged, choosing all her own paths. Now that she was achieving her goals Alyssa was worried. She couldn't picture such a driven young woman without a purpose in life.

Hopefully, this break would give her life some direction.

"The south wall in the bathroom is the same way, though you actually have to pull the curtain by hand." the assistant stated, waving her arm in the general direction of the other room.

"Still ostentatious." was the firm reply.

The teen moved forward, standing close to the window but not touching. It was one of those views that needed to be seen at sunset she decided, eyes drinking in the sunny hills.

Alyssa called to her, pulling Vanessa from the view. It was midday, and in the distance the image of the city was wavering in the heat. Past the stairs that led to the loft was a sliding glass door. It opened onto a patio, and an in ground pool was glistening invitingly. The entire patio was set to the right of the window, so the view was left unhindered. There was no railing here, only a sheer drop into the valley of trees.

"Where did you find this place Lyss?" she asked, looking around "A porn magazine? This is so cliché.." the teen crossed her arms across her ribs.

The heat beat against her limbs, and she was glad for her choice in clothing. She'd chosen comfort over style and wore a simple pair of jean shorts and a tank, short hair hanging about her face wildly. The red shown almost orange in the light, darker auburn strands lining her face.

Around her neck was a digital camera, swinging slightly with her every movement. Her hands fiddled with it, fingers flicking against the buttons rapidly before turning again to her companion. Vanessa's' voice was mild, half meaning the words she spoke.

"I mean seriously, when I said _yard _I didn't mean _mountain_." she gestured widely to the valley.

"Oh, shut up. You know you like it." the older woman replied. She too was dressed casually, jeans and a blouse. Her massive hair was pinned up high to keep it away from her neck. The heat didn't agree with her as well as the younger girl, and there were two light pink patches on her cheeks.

The trip to California from Illinois had been long and exhausting. Be it the arguments that took place before hand or the tearful goodbyes from the twins it had seemed that fate had worked against the duo from making it to the west coast. Late flights, baggage issues, Vanessa cursing out a flight attendant..

Alyssa glanced at her watch in the lull of silence. It was beautiful out here, and she doubted Vanessa realized that her affection for the place was already showing. Her normally hard face was looking softly on the valley. The inherit wide eyes from her mother trailed longingly along the trees, and the assistant knew that the teen would be spending quite a lot of time outdoors. Now that Vanessa had made it safely to California, introduced to her new home and generally safe and in one piece, it was time for Alyssa to go.

As much as she enjoyed the company of her employer, she was tired and knew the girl well enough to know that the young woman wouldn't relax with her employee hanging about. Nor we she tolerate her chatting for too much longer. As cold as it seemed to out your friend out, it was simply how things were done. Vanessa was never a social butterfly. She liked her silences and being on her own. Despite what the tabloids said about Vanessa, she was in no way 'emotionally stunted' by moving around so much.

If anything, she preferred it. Alyssa had watched Vanessa when she was confined to home with a sprained ankle. She was a free spirit - and hated, absolutely abhorred, being with too many people for an extended period of time. Which was one of the many reasons the brunette was curious about the decision to enter a high school.

Vanessa had been home schooled since she was eleven by her own choice. She didn't like being around others. The runner didn't like bustle or business, it made her nervous and paranoid. Alyssa had never seen one person get so twitchy so easily. But put her in a crowd and it didn't take too long. She'd once said that she liked to keep track of everyone and everything. In a big group she couldn't do that, and that was one of the many reasons that it bothered her.

The same was true for people. Vanessa couldn't be around the same people without getting annoyed or at times becoming cruel. She could maybe be at home for a week or two before she started snapping at her brothers and fighting with her mother. Slowly but surely, she'd spend more time out running and the next thing you knew she was wondering if there was a competition anywhere in the country.

The only groups she could handle were runners. Be it a training camp or a competition, it was the time she kept her cool. Anyone who could keep her pace was welcomed in her world. Which was why she was alone so often, Alyssa mused, almost no one could keep up with Fast-forward.

It was just who she was.

So, the brunette accepted that the past few days she'd spent with Vanessa were going to reach their end soon. It was better to remove herself then have Vanessa get vicious with her. Plus, they were a day ahead of schedule, there were plenty of hotels in Mission City and plenty of bars. Whereas the teen hated city life, Alyssa loved it.

"The garage is right underneath the house, the driveway wraps around… the architect went for a more.." Alyssa began to rattle off stats again, a random smile blooming on her face that Vanessa ignored while she tuned her out.

Alyssa was a spazz, end of story.

Directly under the window of the house was a paved path, wide enough for a car. The aforementioned garage was settled under the main part of the house, support beams lining the door. The drop from the driveway and the patio was an easy ten foot gap, the stone side with a foe rock stairway.

The tour continued in much the same fashion, Alyssa speaking rapidly about designs and styles and Vanessa not listening. The window spread to the second floor, lighting the loft which turned out to be a bedroom. The floor up here was covered with the same plush carpet that was on the floor under the couches, and the massive bed pushed against the wall between a dresser and armoire.

The two women wandered into the kitchen eventually, poking around the near empty fridge. There was a jar of jelly, several boxes of Hot Pockets, and a few sealed bottles of water in the massive depths. Vanessa was pleased. She'd made sure that she had the bear essentials. This whole trip was something she'd wanted to do on her own.

Tossing Alyssa a bottled of water, she cracked open the other bottle and plopped into one of a matching stools at the counter in the kitchen. Alyssa had begun to wind down. She handed her a credit card, a cell phone (no phone line up here), and a map of the area.

Vanessa cocked a brow when she read the top of the map.

"Tranquility?" she rolled her eyes "You took me literally, how cute." her trademark sarcasm was firmly in place as she scanned the paper.

"I thought it might bring about some chuckles." came the snippy reply.

Alyssa moved to the teens side, pointing out several areas.

"We're here." she said, pointing to a circled spot on the map. "The city is a few miles down the mountain. There's a school bus stop about half a mile down the road that you can take to school. Since you're just inside the jurisdiction, you'll be attending John Marshall Highschool."

Out of nowhere, Alyssa produced a sack which was apparently the 'in-style' book bag. In it were her school supplies, and Vanessa eyed them warily before dropping the bag to the floor. Alyssa made no comment, merely continuing to produce items that she'd deemed necessary for her employers survival. At the sight of a small keychain Vanessa stopped her.

"What are those for?" she asked with an edge to her voice.

Alyssa looked innocent, which was never a good sign.

"Well, this is your house key.." she started, picking up one of the three keys. "This one is for the Vespa in the garage, and this is for a bike lock. Oh! This is the garage door opener. Vanessa, don't look at me like that, it makes me nervous."

Indeed, the teen was eyeing her evilly.

"I told you not to get me anything with a motor, I'm not going to use it." she ground out in a low voice. Her arms were crossed across her ribs as she stood up slowly from the stool. Her chin was lifted, and her impressive height was used in full to paint a rather intimidating picture.

"Don't start Vanessa." Alyssa said, also rising. It was a dangerous chance she was taking, Vanessa could tear her to bits on words alone.

"You're going to be living on a mountain, what if you have an emergency and need to get to town quickly?"

"I'll run."

From anyone else, the response would have just been a stubborn teen trying to make a point at all costs, making an empty threat.

From Vanessa, it was a possibility.

Alyssa was getting ready for a good row. The woman had worried that this argument was coming and had plenty of reasons listed in her head. But Vanessa's shoulder sagged suddenly and she shook her head. A small smile was on her face and she walked past Alyssa without a word.

She walked into the living room and looked out the massive window, eyes trailing the not so far away city. Glancing at the sun, she turned towards the stairs that lead to the loft and jogged up them, calling to Alyssa only when she reached the top.

"Forget it, I'll use it if I need to." she said, her voice slightly muffled. The sounds of drawers opening and sliding cloth carried over the house.

"I'm going to go for a run. There's got to be trails around here."

Vanessa reappeared in a comfy looking tank and a pair of windbreaker shorts. A sports bra peaked from the side of her shirt, and as she trotted down the stairs she pulled her short hair back into a tail that clung at the base of her skull.

"There are trails." Alyssa said, grabbing her purse. This was Vanessa's not so subtle way of dismissing people. Translated, it was a message of 'be gone by the time I get back'.

"I marked a few on your map, so that's a good place to start." Vanessa made a small grunt in return, going to the kitchen to look at the map. Alyssa started to rattle off small little things as she walked to the door. A small roll of twenties was on the kitchen table now, and Vanessa merely eyed it before leaving the chrome room following the sound of Alyssa's voice.

"Oh, and one more thing. You're starting school a little late, there was some sort of dispute about school districts. Remember, you've gotta be at that bus stop at like six fifty."

It wasn't too long after that Alyssa was making a U-turn in the road and waving while speeding down the hill. Vanessa waved mildly, a small smile on her face, before turning toward the surrounding forest. Stretching lightly, she clipped her cell phone on the elastic waist of her shorts before setting off at a strong jog with a water bottle in hand.

It didn't take her too long to make it to the first trail, which was only a little ways up the hill. As expected, the trail was dazzling and lovely and peachy and perfectly yay. Disturbing to say the least. If it's in the wilderness, it shouldn't be combed and changed to suit someone's needs. People who couldn't deal with real cross country needed to stop ruining it for everyone else.

She followed the main trail for all of two minutes before she found a fork. There was an arrow on the tree directing runners to the left and downhill, a rope blocking off the right path. Ducking under it, she continued on the right path. Fast-forward relished in the strain on her legs as she went uphill. Weeds gripped at her long legs, and her shirt constantly snagged. A true run.

She wasn't aware of the time, only the feel of the run. So when she stumbled across a malicious tree root and back into reality she was mildly surprised on how low the sun had gotten in the sky. The trail she'd been on was near invisible at this height, everything over grown. Panting, Fast-forward sipped slowly at the water while continuing to walk slowly upward.

Ahead there was a break in the trees, hopefully a place where she could sit and gather her bearings before heading back down to her new house. Pushing none too quietly through the brush, the scene she broke into was the second of the day to make her stop short.

There was no gate or fence, weather it'd been knocked down from time or it never existed she wasn't sure. The grass was tall and sweet smelling, reaching up to her waist easily. On a day this hot there was no breeze, but the sound of cicada's and crickets were in the air. And through the grass, barely visible, stood thick slabs of stone.

She couldn't tell if the names were still readable, and she didn't bother to try and read any of them. This graveyard was abandoned in everyway, including the people buried here. It was still and quite, and she didn't know how long she stood taking it all in.

Only when she realized that the orange light that shone on the grass was fading further did she turn back to the trail. There wasn't a doubt in her mind she'd come go back there. And soon.

* * *

Barricade hadn't been this tired since his last 'disagreement' with Blackout. 

He was a proud mech, a good soldier, and a few chips tougher then most. But it had taken him nearly an orn to find a suitable place. After cycles of worming his way through the wilderness of the planet, he'd finally chosen. The structure was large and very empty. The trees only gave it a slight girth, still crowding close enough that he'd almost passed right by it.

It was poorly constructed (as most things on the planet were) of dead trees. Wood. The entrance was wide, and had he been standing Barricade may have had trouble entering the structure. Since he'd become so well acquainted with the ground though, the Decepticon fit easily though the entrance.

Inside, the ground was covered with dry stalks of grass as bedding. It crunched feebly under his weight, catching in his armor. He snarled his frustration, settling back against the largest pile of the bedding and starting his systems checks.

He had to have been slightly lucky, he figured. Despite his crippling injuries all of his scanners were working well enough to provide him with the information he'd needed. The Autobots hadn't found him, always a plus since that meant he was still alive, and now he had remotely suitable shelter.

And if he kept telling himself he was lucky, there was a chance his CPU would malfunction and he'd actually believe that load of scrap.

A sluggish rage was building in his systems. Rage at Megatron for being defeated. Rage at Starscream for leaving. Rage at Frenzy for filling his interior with chatter so much that he almost missed the noise. Rage at himself for not being in the final battle because then at least he'd have a good reason to be dead.

Most of all though, rage at those scum Autobots and their Prime.

If it hadn't been for them, there wouldn't be a war. If they hadn't decided that they were going to fight, Barricade would be relaxing on Cybertron with a femme and sipping some high-grade. He'd still have his gang and be roaring around the tracks on his home planet.

But now? Now he didn't even have that hope because the _slagging_ flesh beast had destroyed the _fragging_ Allspark.

Snarling, Barricade tried to reign his temper. The Mustang engine in his chest was roaring with his anger, and he calmed himself quickly. The avian in the trees were silent, and he cursed himself. He couldn't give away his position, not this close.

He wasn't far from the human settlement where the Autobots frequented. He'd managed to travel in a large semi-circle around the mountains, placing him north of the city. There were few human structures down the mountain, but not for several miles, and as far as the schematics had shown - no roads.

The squishies were weak, they didn't venture into places that they couldn't control. Optics trailing the structure he now sat, Barricade nodded to himself. It would have to do. Slowly he put himself into recharge, preparing to reverse the damage on his leg. He wasn't dead yet, and if he had his way about it there would be a few Autobot corpses to join Megatron at the bottom of the ocean before he went offline.

* * *

**End Chapter**

* * *

**A/N Cont**- 

You all have no idea how happy your reviews make me, honestly. I'm glad Vanessa is becoming so well liked, and I'm even more pleased that people are having conflict over Barricade. I enjoy falling into his mind more and more, and I'm glad everyone thinks I've got his character down so well.

Also, there's a lot of Alyssa in this chapter. I hadn't intended to take her into account so much, but she's grown on me a bit. Plus, she's helpful to explaining Vanessa, who a bit more is revealed about in this chapter. You wont be seeing Alyssa again for awhile though, so say adios for now.

Next chapter things start to pick up again, and we'll be seeing quite a few new characters and start more on the plot. Introduction chapters are tiring. But I think these past few chapters were necessary to the plot. How can you go on an adventure without knowing who's taking you?

By the way, if anyone knows the real name of the canon school name form the movie, please tell me. I can't find it anywhere, and the movie is out of theaters. I don't like not having the right information.

Remember to leave a review!


	4. The School Days

**Disclaimer**-Transformers and all recognizable characters are property of Hasbro. As in I don't own them. All plots and original characters are property of me, myself, and the people in my head. We don't let other people use them because it's not cool. So don't steal them, because you really don't want to piss us off.

* * *

**Title**- Immorality of Morals

**Author**- MooMoo-Sama

**Rating**- T

**Summary**- It had been a slim chance. A slim chance that she would find him, a slim chance that he wouldn't kill her, a slim chance that they'd become friends, and a slim chance for survival. But how can you choose what's right or wrong in a war that you shouldn't be in? Meet her dilemma.

**Author Notes**- Okay, this chapter is a bigger 'Oops!' then the last one. Not entirely my plan, but my muse took over and next thing I knew it was so long that I had to cut it in half. Which I suppose, in the long run, is good. That means I'm a chapter ahead. But the cut off point left it Barricade-less. Still, it's an important chapter me-thinks.

_-Once again, moved due to absurd long-ness-_

* * *

**Immorality of Morals**

Chapter Four

* * *

When Vanessa woke the next morning it wasn't to the usual call of Alyssa or Greg. She rolled in the hotel bed, mind muddled as to what the hell was making that annoying noise. Slowly, he mind registered it as 'annoying ring tone' and she had the wherewithal to shove her head under a pillow.

"Much better.." she muttered to herself, drifting off yet again.

After her return the previous night, Vanessa had spent her time breaking in the shower and Jacuzzi in turn. With Alyssa gone, she wandered around her new house peacefully, the quite soothing her like nothing else. She'd sat in the tub for nearly an hour, the curtain pulled open to provide of view of Tranquility. At night the city was lit, glowing amongst miles of dark plains and hills.

After getting out of the tub, she'd flopped onto the couch and leafed through the school supplies and books. She understood most of the material, which was good because that meant she was spot on with her studies. A childish excitement had built in her, and it was in the early hours of the morning that she finally fell asleep.

Again, the amazingly annoying ring tone sounded. It was a cross between some kind of pop song and techno by the sound of it. It repeated for several minutes, finally reaching the point of being unbearable, when Vanessa finally rolled out of bed with murderous intent.

That cell phone was going down.

But when she hit the carpet, looking around at softly lit furniture, she realized why Greg hadn't drop kicked her door in yet. This was no hotel. With a shot of panic, Vanessa snatched the phone off the table and flipped it open.

_"VANESSA!!"_ the voice on the other end roared. Vanessa held the phone away from her ear, but the voice was plenty loud enough.

_"You are SO late! Don't speak, just go! You're going to miss your bus!"_ came Alyssa's panicked voice.

Closing the phone with a snap, Vanessa stripped and dressed like the runner that she was. She launched herself down the stairs, snagging her book bag off the couch and running in to the bathroom. Less then two minutes later she darted into the kitchen, grabbing the roll of twenties off the counted and she was out the front door at record speed.

_'Late! Late late later then late which is super late!' _a voice that sounded suspiciously like her brothers howled.

The morning was surprisingly chilly, but then the sun was barely up. The tall girl stumbled several feet down the road before stopping herself. Panicking would do her no good. Taking a deep breath, the cool air pressed against her lungs and cleared her head. Vanessa took her time zipping up the light hoodie she wore, hooking her bag securely over her shoulder before looking down at her phone.

6:47am. Three minutes. Quarter mile.

She smirked.

When she reached the bus stop, the other students were startled. They'd all been looking the other way, watching as the bus drew closer and closer to their position, obviously not expecting someone else to be coming from further up the mountain.

The three looked at her wide eyed, all shorter then her. Two were girls, maybe her age, faces made up with liner and gloss. The third was a boy, a tiny thing who could only be a freshman. He was similar to one of the girls, and Vanessa smiled at him.

He seemed to try to return it, but his smile turned out looking like a grimace and without a word the three boarded the bus before her. As Vanessa followed, ignoring any semblance of nervousness, the bus driver stopped her. The woman was aged, her round body making her seat sag and her long white grey hair looking scraggly.

"You the new girl?" she grunted, eyeing Vanessa.

Was this some sort of rite of passage? Would they kick her off the bus? To hell with that. Vanessa had never been known for her shining manners, she wasn't about to start acting like a model citizen now.

"Yeah, who's asking?" the teen grunted in return. Her chin jutted slightly in challenge.

The driver eyed her more closely, a low 'hmmmm' resonating from the back of her throat, before she suddenly put the bus into gear and took off down the hill. Vanessa stumbled, bumping her hip against a seat before catching herself with her arms. Her head whipped towards the driver, ready to snarl a threat, before she was cut off.

"Shaddup and sit'chur boney ass down." the driver said, eyes reflected briefly in the mirror above her head.

The bus jerked again, hard on a turn, and Vanessa had no choice but to slam roughly into a seat. The forest was whipping by quickly, and there was no possible way that they were going to speed limit. The other teens were grouped towards the middle of the bus, all muttering lowly and clinging to their seats without looking up.

Apparently, this was normal.

"The name's Beth. I dun't want to know 'churs." she grunted. "You dun't gimme any problems and us two wont have no issues. Got it, scrawny?"

Vanessa liked her.

With a smirk on her lips she didn't answer, simply scooted closer to the window to watch the scenery. The trees soon began to fade as they entered the suburbs of Tranquility. The bus, it's route obviously directed towards the more out of the way students, began to stop more frequently. Every teen that entered eyed Vanessa curiously.

The runner had stopped trying to be friendly with every person that got on. After smiling at a group of girls carrying a basketball who looked at her like she had leprosy, her giving mood deflated. In fact, she ignored the others more then anything. They spoke in low murmurs around her, curious to who she was and where she came from, but no one bothered to try to speak to her. About her? Sure. But not to her, as if she couldn't hear there not-so-low murmurs.

How annoying.

The bus was nearly filled as they pulled further into the city. She wouldn't have called it suburbia anymore, the houses were closer together now, but they were still very large with plenty of room. She was nearing the end of her patience, ready to snap at the crowd of teens, when they became distracted with another novelty that was apparently getting on the bus.

The not-so-low murmur rose rapidly at the sight of a curly haired boy boarding with other students. Vanessa would have assumed he was popular by the way everyone turned to look at him, but none of the groups called out to the youth. He was thin wearing like most other boys a pair of jeans and a tee, and she supposed he was cute, but other than that there was nothing about him that stood out to her.

He started walking down the narrow isle, people still watching him with hooded expressions. He looked around for a seat, not meeting anyone's eye. The bus was packed though, and the seats that had space were covered quickly with book bags. Vanessa continued to watch blatantly, half curious and half disgusted, from her position in the front. This was like a bad teen movie, seriously. She rolled her eyes and settled back into her seat, gaze trailing out the window.

Without warning, the driver started down the road again, jerking the students that rode inside it. Most of them turned and continued their conversations, gradually gaining volume. Vanessa had to say that she liked Tranquility. It didn't seem overcrowded, and it was clean. Giggling caught her attention again, and she looked to see that the curly haired boy was still standing, a group of girls behind him laughing at his plight.

That bothered her.

"For the love of.." Vanessa muttered to herself. She pulled herself up so she was balanced with one knee on the seat.

"Hey, kid." she called. Several people turned to her, whether they thought she was talking to them or because they hadn't heard her speak she didn't know. Nor did she care. The boy in question looked up, and upon seeing that he was being stared at, pointed to himself in the universal 'Who, me?' gesture.

"No the guy behind you." he turned and looked, she rolled her eyes.

"Yes, you genius." she said, tension running up her spine. This many people looking at her got on her nerves.

"Come and sit." Moving her bag onto her lap, Vanessa turned and sat straight in her seat again. Several seconds later the boy plopped into the seat, he too holding his bag on his lap. He turned to her with a small smile.

"Thanks." he said softly.

Yup, definitely cute.

"Sam Witwicky." he said more loudly, holding out his hand.

Vanessa offered a little smile in return, grasping his hand briefly.

"Vanessa.. Vanessa Zeiz." she replied, giving her last name with only slight hesitation.

Sam gave no reaction though, only nodding and turning to face forward. Vanessa followed suit only she faced the window and continued to watch the scenery. When the bus reached the school Sam gave her a small wave as he trotted off the bus. The mass exodus left her as the last person, and Beth the driver gave her the eye as she finally stepped into the full sunlight.

_'Sweet Barbra..'_

Vanessa supposed the school wasn't that large, not by comparison to larger cities. But the sheer mass of bodies surging into the building sent a shiver down her spine. That was a lot of people. Not even people, teenagers.

_'Alright, Fast-forward, you can do this.'_ her mind seemed to chant.

With a deep breath she hitched her bag on her shoulder and headed inside.

* * *

Her first day went about in a redundant fashion. After a quick stop at the principals office for her schedule (and a rundown on the school rules) she was off to navigate to her first class. Being a girl with a generally good sense of direction, she'd declined the offer for a nice chipper tour guide thankyouverymuch. 

Entering her first class started the repetition. Stand awkwardly, introduce self, find a seat, endure stares. Repeat. All day. Prepare to serve with a side order of annoyance and a glass of boredom, and of course a sprinkle of pent up energy.

Enjoy.

Needless to say, Vanessa was quickly falling into a worse mood by the end of her day. She'd spent lunch sitting outside, picking at the food she'd bought. People had yet to speak more then four words that didn't include 'Hi, who are you?' and speak beyond that. Not that Vanessa was the most social creature. No, far from it. But she was at least hoping that there was someone remotely intelligent here. After all, what was the point of her coming to school if she couldn't fulfill her task?

It was frustrating, locked up in a school all day. Her memories of school were vague, having been home schooled for so long. To further that, they weren't half so dreary. It appeared that high school lacked the charisma of elementary school. Maybe the removal of nap time? She wouldn't have even bothered if it hadn't been for her father.. Her father who was still directing her life even though he was long gone.

Frustrating was a nice way to put it.

The saving grace had been placed at the bottom of her schedule though. Physical Education. As she navigated towards the gym, her muscles ached in anticipation. She couldn't remember the last time she'd sat around for six hours, the thought of exercise was like the promise of food to a starving man.

A group of girls watched as she passed, giggling loudly. She wasn't stupid, and apparently her height was a novelty to many of the students. She narrowed her eyes at the girls, who stopped immediately, and continued onward. Either they cleared out of her way or laughed.

The runner wasn't phased though. Vanessa had long since been able to ignore jeers and insults. If anything she was disappointed, it seemed that the whole school was entirely uncreative. She'd dished out worse to her agent, let alone someone who she really didn't like. When your competition was constantly trying to psyche you out, it was best you learned to play the game.

Which was another note. Despite how many times she'd introduced herself in class, no one seemed to know her. A plus on many levels, she didn't really want the celebrity treatment. Still, there was the primal urge to watch the reactions of those around her if they found out about her title.

Fastest teen in the country was a pretty phrase.

She smirked to herself.

For the first time that day, she hesitated when the bell rang. She knew there was some kind of protocol when it came to Gym class, though she wasn't exactly sure. She was interrupted from her mental debate though as she walked through the gym doors.

"Hey, new girl." the voice said.

Vanessa turned warily. Two girls stood, halted in the hall. They were a complete opposite of one another, one tall, the other short. Whilst the taller of the two was dark, her hair long and black and her skin a dusky natural tan with brown eyes - the shorter was fair. Her hair was a brown blonde, perhaps dyed at some point, and her skin was pale as marble. Her eyes were a blue grey.

The taller was the one that had spoken, and her short companion stepped up to her side.

"Do you have gym?" she asked. Without missing a beat the dark haired girl stepped in.

"So do we, c'mon we'll show you the way." she gestured towards her, and watched as Vanessa slowly came to their sides before turning down the hallway.

The duo introduced themselves as Eileen and Marie (in order of appearance) and chatted with her lightly as they trekked down towards the locker rooms. Vanessa was slightly wary of the two, but the way they acted and spoke as they walked, waving to several people as they went down the hall, only proved them to be popular or in some sort of clique. Both were quite pretty and slightly made up, even though they seemed far more down to earth then the girls at her bus stop.

The two talked to her like an old friend, explaining several facets of the school and the blocking system of the classes. By the time they all walked outside to the track - apparently where classes were when it was warm enough - Vanessa had warmed up to the two girls. They were both playful, cracking jokes back and forth to each other and telling her all about teachers and students alike. A boy joined the trio, who was introduced as Adam, and joined the banter easily.

Apparently, they were good friends.

The runner had to watch the three curiously. It was an enigma to her, to become so close to another person so thoroughly. It was a curious thing that to her that they seemed all equal to one another. None of them walked ahead, they each took turns speaking and listening. Absolutely curious. She tried to picture herself doing the same thing for a moment.

She snorted.

Another person drew her attention away from the girls. Walking a few feet in front of her was a head of short curly brown hair. Sam Witwicky. He was talking lowly to another boy, one with longer hair, and didn't notice her presence. Now that they were both standing, Vanessa could see she was taller then him. Not surprising since she seemed to be taller then most people. California had amazingly short teenagers.

The gym teacher began to call role as they stepped on to track. The coach stopped short at Vanessa's name, looking at her curiously, but continued on without comment. He was far more preoccupied by a group of rather.. large boys. Large, or steroid infested. It was the perfect stereo-type for jock. Big muscles, good looking, complete assholes. The whole she-bang.

"Alright people!" the teacher called out. "Ten laps today! Of which you must jog at least two. Let's get a move on!"

Students all around her groaned and complained. The small troupe she'd been walking with had already started there jog, waving back at her. As she stretched Vanessa took the time to look around at the runners. The tension from the day, from being around so many people, was leaking out of her. This was her element, where she was the queen, and there was no way she could be bothered now.

With a critical eye she watched the other students. It was sort of depressing. Most of them were walking the track, talking amongst themselves. Those who were jogging weren't breathing right. Worst of all the jocks were jeering and taunting any runners. They challenged them to races, or shoved there way though large groups like they owned the track.

Which was wrong, considering she owned the track.

Vanessa chuckled to herself as she started to jog easily. 10 laps? That was pathetic. Her legs sung their pleasure at the familiar motions. Easily she fell into her rhythm, the world around her becoming muted except for the beat of the sun against the earth, warming her arms and legs and keeping her steady.

The red head easily lapped those around her, barely registering the groups of students she passed or the sweating joggers that were forced to slow down. She smiled mildly at Eileen and her friends as she passed them, the group calling something about making them look bad. It wasn't until her progress was halted by a mass of students did she come back to attention.

The jocks had surrounded a pair of boys as they walked, the two not noticing the crowd until they were emerged. Sam seemed to stiffen up but he continued to walk, determination pushing into his step. His friend on the other hand was looking around, muttering to himself, eyes wide and wary. A particularly large fellow began to call out something to the two far smaller teens, but his voice was too low for Vanessa to catch. She had to give him credit for his little plan.

From the spectators stand point, this was nothing more then another group of students walking the track. The group of muscle heads had at least taken the teachers into account, who now stood at the gate that surrounded the track, marking who was on what lap. With a smirk, Fast-forward picked up her pace. With practiced ease she closed in on the group, still far enough back not to be noticed, and slowed to a walk. Keeping pace, she listened to the conversation.

".. thinks he's tough now that he's got a pretty new car." the large guy - ringleader - said to his group.

"He didn't even buy that car. I heard that the government had to give it to him because they ruined his old one. That right Wit-wussy? You're too poor to afford any car without auctioning off your family history anyway." he called toward Sam. His buddies began to laugh.

"Yeah, sure Trent." came the calm reply.

"I heard you trashed it already Wit-wussy. I heard you wrecked it because you couldn't control it. Not able to handle a big boys toy?"

Sam's determined step skipped slightly.

_'Uh-uh, they got your weak spot.'_

Trent apparently noticed the misstep as well.

"Oooh. What's the matter? Embarrassed? It's okay, we all know it was a cheap rental."

Another misstep.

"We'll never see that poor thing on the road again I bet. Completely totaled. What a waste, bet the car is sorry you ever walked on the lot."

And another.

"Hey." Trent addressed his friends who were all chuckles "You notice that since he trashed that pile of crap, Mikaela hasn't been hanging around him?" Trent turned his attention back towards Sam, his voice carrying loudly over his laughing friends.

"She always did like a nicer ride. Guarantee she'll be coming back to the man who can _handle_ his vehicle."

Sam came to an abrupt halt, the chorus of 'oohs' ending sharply as he turned towards Trent. His whole body was rigid and he stepped towards Trent with purpose. The larger boy, not to be shown up, stepped forward to meet Sam. The two were, in her opinion, entirely too close to each others personal space. The group around them tightened together, and Sam's friend seemed unsure about what to do.

"You know Trent, it's funny that you say that. The way I hear it is, how to put this, you can't _keep up_ the speed."

Sam's eyes were hard. Vanessa's chuckle was muffled by the snorts of the other jocks. A running rumor apparently. The large boy in question was tinged a smudgy red.

"What was that?" he ground out.

"Want me to break it down for you, man? I know you have a hard time keeping up when people use big words." the smaller boy snapped back.

"Y'know what Wit-wussy? I'm going to make you cry to your mommy when I'm through with you."

"Wait, wait, I think I've heard this one before! Oh, yeah, you said the same thing right before I dusted you in that street race."

A chorus of 'oohs!' rang out around the two boys. Trent, who now resembling an overcooked tomato, shoved Sam hard in the chest. The group around them tightened, and Vanessa watched with interest. Sam's friend moved forward, trying to step in-between the two boys, but was held back by the growing crowd. Sam stumbled back several feet, and Trent followed him delivering a punch to his stomach before he regained his balance.

"Not so tough now, huh?" Trent ground out. "No Mikaela to save you."

Vanessa watched calmly, eyes calculating, as Sam tried to regain his breath. Trent shoved him backwards hard though. The smaller boy was caught two larger teens, presumably Trent's friends since they grabbed his arms. As Trent moved forward again to strike, Sam jerked his arm backwards elbowing one boy in the stomach and swinging forward. He caught the larger jock in the mouth, and sent him staggering.

_'Nice shot.'_ Vanessa thought, arms crossing over her stomach.

She would have called it a fairly even fight up till then, but Sam was suddenly taking a kick to the back of the knees and a punch in the gut by some other boys. He was being held, on his knees, unable to defend himself as Trent moved towards him ready to make a field goal with Sam's head.

Unfair fights left a nasty taste in her mouth.

She looked around, dismissing anythough of making it throught he massive crowd in time. She briefly wondered what the hell the teachers were doing, but dismissed them concentrated at the task at hand. Toeing off her shoe quickly, Vanessa took aim and fired. Trent stopped short, head reeling backwards at the strike. The running sneaker bounced off his shoulder as it tumbled to the ground, and there was total silence.

Bulls-eye.

"Excuse me, pardon me. Su permiso. Coming through."

The crowd parted for her as she hopped through, one foot held away from the track daintily. Most of the boys were wide eyed, and the two holding Sam released him. Sam himself looked at her confused, a half wince on his face as if he was still waiting for the coming blow. Trent had a hand to his the side of his head, where if one looked close enough there was the imprint of the sneaker.

"Sorry about that." Vanessa said in a chipper tone that was entirely not hers.

Grabbing the offending article of clothing, she squatted between the kneeling Sam and the bewildered Trent, making a show of lacing up her sneaker. There was a red mark welling up on the jocks face, weather from the shoe itself or the chuckle rippling though the crowd. Vanessa eyed Adam and Eileen sniggering behind their hands.

"What the hell is the matter with you, are you retarded?" Trent snarled, stepping towards the still squatting Vanessa.

"Didn't mean for that to happen." she said mildly "I had a leg spasm, happens sometimes. There have been other casualties." her tone was full of sarcasm even to her own ears.

Somewhere in the crowd, Marie was snorting.

"Who the hell are you anyway? Are you the new girl?"

"Have you ever seen me before?"

"No."

"Then I guess I'm the new girl."

The jocks were still looking on in shock, but the other bystanders were laughing between their whispers.

"You're in the way of some business." Trent finally said, not able to respond to her sarcasm any better then Sam's. Apparently, it was his weakness. "Move."

Fast-forward lost her good humor. Slowly, she stood from her crouched position. Face stony, she locked eyes with the larger boy without hesitation. The crowd trickled to silence again, the new confrontation catching their hungry eyes. The runner noted with satisfaction that she was just as tall - if not and inch taller - then her adversary.

"No." she said, voice hard.

"I said move it, bitch." was the reply.

Her eyes narrowed.

"What are you going to do, tough guy? Hit me?" she snorted, stepping forward with her head held high.

Trent hesitated. It was a cheap trick, but an easy one to use. Even if he was a woman beater, which she doubted, he wouldn't swing on her in front of all these people. The gym teachers had apparently noticed the large group and were cutting across the field to intercept the now still mass of students. Fast-forward went in for the kill.

"That's what I thought." she snarled. "Now why don't you and your butt-buddies go play in moving traffic, kay? Come back when you grow some balls and can fight fair."

She turned, sticking out a hand to Sam and helping him to his feet. Sam looked at her confused and wary, but accepted her hand.. The same way she'd accepted his that same morning. Eileen, Marie, and Adam had started a rebellious round of applause, laughing the whole way, and the crowd of their friends took it up with gusto.

Shortly after the mass of students was broken up, and most continued to walk the track half heartedly. The class ended shortly, and it was when Vanessa was headed towards her bus after changing in the locker rooms that Sam caught up with her.

"Hey - Hey! Vanessa!" he called, bumping into people as he struggled down the hall.

Vanessa watched him curiously as he approached. She leaned against the wall in an effort to get out of the way of the people who were leaving, running a hand through her hair. The curly haired boy caught up to her in a matter of moments, and he gestured for them to continue down the hall as they spoke.

"You didn't have to do that you know." he started, not quite looking at her.

"Well, that's the weirdest thank you I've ever heard. Next time I'll let him kick your teeth in." she replied, her voice positively dripping with sarcasm. Sam had the decency to look abashed.

"Wait, wait, I didn't mean it like that." he said "It's just, you don't know a thing about me and you helped me. That's twice in one day, man. Now Trent is probably going to have it out for you too. " he gave her a half smile with half meaning.

"People who try to defend me usually end up hurt.." his eyes were glazed with some memory, the smile draining out of his face. Vanessa watched him, calculating, but tread on slowly.

"Look, Sam." she said, stopping and turning to him "I'm a big girl, alright? I can make my own decisions.

"You're looking for meaning way deeper then what's really there. I don't like unfair treatment. If you're going to get your ass handed to you, at least do it on even ground."

Vanessa turned, intent on reaching the bus before it left. She was surprised when Sam was suddenly at her elbow again, laughing softly. The haunted look had dimmed from his eyes.

"Well, y'know I like the uneven fights, kinda reminds me of 300. It gets me all riled up just thinking about it." he said, sarcasm lacing his tone.

"Oh" was the equally sarcastic reply "Yeah, I pitted you as a testosterone monkey when I first saw you. Guess I was right, you look like the 'blood and guts' sorta guy."

"Well, I'm partial to the sexy men in metal thongs." waggling eyebrows "I get all hot and bothered just thinking about it." he fanned his face dramaticly.

As they boarded the bus, Vanessa was wheezing too hard to get in another word. A smile was on her lips, and had she noticed how soft her normally hard features had become she would have stopped right away. Sam too was smiling, and they both sat in the front seat without question.

Beth the bus driver grunted, and they were off.

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**End Chapter**

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**AN Cont**- 

To make up for the lack of 'Cade, he'll probably be dominating the next chapter. No telling with the way this monster is taking shape. I had a plan and layout for this whole story, but it's being blown away as I write. This chapter is dedicated to a certain reader, you know who you are, and will catch the meaning of several things.

Sam was sort of a wuss in this chapter, I realize, but he's a pain in the ass to write. Plus, he's suffering about Bee, and I think he'd blame himself more then anyone if his guardian got hurt.

To end this note, I must say thank you so freaking much for the reviews. Every time I read one I absolutely squeal with joy and start writing more, so you all are literally what keeps me going. I love seeing new reviews and even if you aren't sure what to say in them, please just let me know your reading. Brightens my bleedin' day.

A special thanks goes out to BlueBomberMobile and NybCR for getting me the name of the school. Incase you guys haven't noticed, I'm trying to set up a pattern in my updates. Failing miserably, but trying. I was thinking at least once a week, or every three days. Dunno, depends on how cooperative my muses are. Feel free to tell me any of your opinions, and maybe questions if anything about my writing is unclear. Always looking to improve, hehe. I'd be happy to write you a response, be it through email or if it's frequently asked I can post the answer at the beginning or end of the chapter. I do believe that's all for now, till next time!

Read and review!


	5. The Meeting

**Disclaimer**- Transformers and all recognizable characters are property of Hasbro. As in I don't own them. All plots and original characters are property of me, myself, and the people in my head. We don't let other people use them because it's not cool. So don't steal them, because you really don't want to piss us off.

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**Title**- Immorality of Morals 

**Author**- MooMoo-Sama

**Rating**- T

**Summary**- It had been a slim chance. A slim chance that she would find him, a slim chance that he wouldn't kill her, a slim chance that they'd become friends, and a slim chance for survival. But how can you choose what's right or wrong in a war that you shouldn't be in? Meet her dilemma.

**Author Notes**- Oh, ye of little faith. I have to say I'm disappointed in my reviewers. Did you all really think I'd make Vanessa into a Sue? That makes me really sad guys. There is a method to my madness you know, and I do everything, and I mean everything, on purpose. These past few chapters have been so full of foreshadowing and hints to the past and future and character construction that I don't know what else to do with the lot of you.

-sigh- Well, I hope I haven't lost readers because they're impatient. Again, thank you to anyone who did review. I love criticism, and I accept it with open arms. You might want to read this chapter slowly though, because like before there are many many hints among the words. Enjoy this installment, and leave a review!

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**Immorality of Morals**

Chapter 5

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The dawn was mild and stunning all at the same time. The sun crept slowly upward, leaking tendrils of light onto the mountains, and valleys, and fields that covered Earth. So slowly was the light crawling into the sky that from her position she could actually see the shadow left from the night, breaking apart in the wake of the day star.

Vanessa stood on her patio pajama clad. She'd woken early, as she had the rest of the week, enough to catch the sunrise as it bled over Tranquility Valley. Today was Saturday though, so she didn't have to cut her appreciation short to get ready for the day. The air around her was chilled still, the trees looking foreboding without the light to shine through their branches. Birds had begun their call with the sun, and Vanessa smiled as she turned to go back inside.

Not ten minutes later she was out the front door. Cool air filled her lungs, sending a shiver though her body. She wore her usual running gear, shorts and a tank, and a water bottle clutched in her hand. Clipping her phone to her side, she started on a the path she'd discovered previously.

The week had flown by in a blur of activity. She received no hero's welcome if word got around about what had happened on the track. The looks she got continued to be odd, though those alone were happening less and less as time was passing. It appeared the curiosity of having a new person was fading already. Part of her was glad for it, whilst another part of her craved it.

After having the lime light for so long, it was like she was blind without it. What did normal teenagers do? She had the school thing down, but it didn't seem to be working correctly. The bid for normalcy that her father had made for her was no more forthcoming as a regular teenager then it was as a track star. Be it her mentality, her appearance, or her interests she was different from them.

Then there was the subject of Mission City. That alone was frustrating enough to giver her a freaking aneurism. When questioning the few people she knew, she received mixed answers. Most knew the tales, but had no first hand accounts of the action. Be it a military weapon gone wrong, to a terrorist attack, and even as far as giant alien robots. Then, they all pointed her in one direction. Samuel Witwicky.

How ironic.

She'd brought the subject up as lightly as she knew how. In retrospect, that probably wasn't the best method. Her version of 'lightly' was vastly different then others. But the rumors she'd wrestled from her peers said that he was in Mission City on the day of the destruction. Then there was his car, that she'd never seen, that he apparently received from the government because his original was confiscated 'or something'.

Vanessa had stuck with Sam all week. Since they were on the same route they sat together on the bus. During lunch she was invited to join Sam and his friend Miles, and any classes she had with either boy they generally stuck together. The two were good company, she had decided, and funny as all hell to boot. Apparently outcasts in the high school society though.

Not surprising, she doubted Sam's wit and Miles sheer..originality was not often appreciated. That meant that they were quite alone in the crowds, and that she was a welcome new addition. Still, she wouldn't claim to know Sam very well, so she wasn't exactly sure what his reactions to her questions had meant.

He'd looked shocked when she brought up the subject on the bus, that was for sure. He didn't stutter really, just claimed he'd been in his car which was confiscated by some militant guy because there was an attack going on. He didn't know weather it was terrorists or a weapon gone wrong, but he followed the crowd and ran when things started exploding. Later, because his old car was apparently destroyed, he received a new one.

Vanessa could only accept the story and move on. His story was like many others that she'd heard, so it wasn't completely unheard of. Maybe the oddest thing was that it was an expensive car. Then again, from what Vanessa had heard about Mrs. Witwicky, she doubted a free car was the least of the military woes when it came to that particular family.

_'Still'_ she thought to herself _'I feel like he left something out..'_

Stumbling slightly over the path, she refocused with a grunt. She'd simply ask him again on Monday.

Jogging at a steady pace, she found herself emerged in the surrounding forest. The path, despite being overgrown, was wide. Roots and rocks lay like mines though, and several times she had to swerve to the side or hop over said obstacles.

_'How did I even make it up here before?'_ she thought, dodging around a particularly large log that lay in her path.

The sun peeked through the branches of the trees, not quite high enough in the sky to seep through the gap left in the canopy. The dappled glow lit the path on which she traveled. Dark mixed with light, sometimes leaving the runner in a path of complete shadow or in brilliant rays of sun. Still, the in-between was what she preferred. Flecks of light darted all around her, bringing a mesh quality to her path. Some were larger then others, warming her skin as rapidly as she moved. Yet the dominance was shadow, cool and peaceful.

Vanessa smiled softly, eyes focused on her path but mind carried away peacefully. Ahead of her, the tunnel of trees was reaching its' end, light shining as a welcoming beacon. With a soft laugh, Fast-forward leapt forward in a sprint, smiling carefree. Gone were all the traces of stress, or thought, or being any where or anything more then she was at that moment.

She burst into the abandoned cemetery, a red streaked blur amongst the green scape. Twirling, she launched herself with the momentum of her run into the tall grass. The sunlight was blinding but welcome, and the absolute silence shattered to her laughter. On her back, staring up into the sky, Fast-forward could breathe and be. Just be.

Panting dying down, the rise and fall of the teens chest began to even out. Thoughts began to drift lazily back into her mind, and a vibration at her hip had her reaching for her cell phone. Vanessa sat up slowly, languidly. The grass kept her submerged though, so she stared into the stalks as she flicked her cell open.

A text message was on her screen, a reminder from Alyssa to call her mother. Rolling her eyes, Vanessa picked herself up from the ground, closing the cell with a flick of her wrist. Obnoxious. Stretching, she replaced the phone to the clip at her side. After a brief search through the grass she located the water bottle.

The runner sipped slowly, inspecting the area thoroughly before she moved towards one of the graves. Crouching, she ran a hand over the tombstone gently. The name and dates were long since faded from the surface, the stone smooth to the touch from weathering. This was a forgotten place without a doubt.

Yet the knowledge that someone was here, someone once remembered, left an air of reverence. Not over the single grave though, but throughout all the graveyard. Who were these people? Were they brothers and sisters? Husband and wife? Was there a murderer and victim laying side by side, under her very living feet? Who was left to remember what bodies were buried, entombed by those who had long since passed themselves. In ten years, would anyone else find this place? A descendant? Would anyone care?

The teen ran her hand over the stones as she passed, stopping once in awhile to try and make out the writing. The sun was climbing higher in the sky as she worked her way though the clearing. It was near it's highest point that she stumbled across the path, heat beating down on her neck as she looked curiously at a large opening. Shadowed by trees, it was surprisingly clean and clear. As she set foot, the soft tap she was awarded had her looking down. Cobblestones. With a soft 'hmm' she continued on curiously.

This path, like the other that she frequented, was steep - leading further up the mountain. Rather then the general straight of the other though, it curved sharply around massive boulders that had stood since the beginning of time. Rather then destroy them, they were accommodated for, leaving the steep serpent of a path a mystery of turns and bends. Every time Vanessa assumed it ended, there was another length of cobble to traverse.

"Well, I'd always wanted my own yellow-brick-road." she mused to herself, stopping to rest her straining legs.

She'd been walking for a decent amount of time, and a quick glance at her phone told her it was nearly two o' clock. Eyebrows raised in surprise, she promised herself only a little while longer before turning back.

She continued her walk, intent on the next bend in the path as her final marker for the day. As she reached it, though, Vanessa stopped short. Buildings, a dozen or so, lined the path ahead of her. They were hunched, like brooding sentries, all facing the road. The wood they were made from was old and warped, drained by the passage of time till it looked as if it shouldn't be standing. The buildings were side-by-side, some creating little alleys between them, but most pressed wall to wall.

The only road in sight was the path that the teen stood on. It went straight through the heart of the little village, continuing onward as it wound up the mountain and disappeared around another bend. A sign marked the entrance to the abandoned place.

'Tranquility City Goldmines'.

Vanessa walked forward, eyes wind and inspecting. So this was the start of Tranquility. Shop fronts with faded advertisements, windows powdered with age. She half expected to see a saloon with swinging doors. The massive shop of the blacksmith stood next door to a general store, looking for all the world like a picture from a ghost town. Trees bordered the village as if the houses were squeezed in a clearing, branches clawing over the roofs as if trying to destroy the buildings that encroached upon their space.

As she reached the end of the villages' single street, another path came to her attention. This wasn't cobbled, as if it wasn't supposed to be noticed. But the wear of footsteps had carved it none the less. Immortalized in the dust were the tracks of hoof and foot alike, leading up through the trees. Vanessa stood, a curiosity building in her mind. To the left, and onwards to where she was sure the abandoned mines lay? Or to the right, where a path that shouldn't exist lead to the unknown?

Pssh. Like there was any contest.

With a grin, Vanessa began to jog up the dusty path, adding her own footprints to the others. She glanced at her half full bottle of water, judging it enough to last her the rest of the jog back down the mountain. This path, much like the others, was slightly over crowded by the vegetation. That didn't much matter though, because her destination was creeping up on her faster then she thought it would.

The building was absolutely massive. Barely covered in height by the trees, there was a slight perimeter of grass around it. Like the town, the wood was old and warped, but more sturdily built then the other structures. The hoof prints that she'd barely noted before were more frequent here, and as the building became more clear it snapped into place in her mind.

A barn.

A really, _really_ big barn.

Prints of all shapes and sizes were before her, and as she looked she noticed something odd. Massive scrapes disturbed the prints, the ground torn and rugged. Vanessa's eyes trailed the marks, the scrapes leading back off the path and into the surrounding forest. The teen walked forward, crouching down at one of the marks, when the sun emerged strongly from behind the clouds. The heat beat down against the young woman's neck and shoulders, and reflected off of something in the darkness.

Jerking to her feet, Vanessa's head snapped towards the yawning opening of the barn. At first, she couldn't see anything in the brightness of the light, but the sun began to recede behind the clouds again and she saw it. It was a massive something tucked far in the back of the barn. She stepped towards the entrance, faintly noting that the scrapes on the earth led into the barn as well.

The silhouette didn't move as the teen entered. The sun had dazzled her eyes, and now in the shadow her senses seemed to be moving sluggishly to adjust. When they finally did, Vanessa had the common decency to fall flat on her rear.

"Holy shit!" she gasped before clamping a hand over her mouth.

But the figured didn't stir at the noise, as a matter of a fact it looked like it hadn't moved in quite awhile. It was huge, lain pressed against the straw the covered the floor like a forgotten toy. Eyes wide, her brain seemed to be moving double time and not at all. The shape, she realized, was humanoid. Legs spread wide, it's right arm crossed over what looked like it's stomach and the left was splayed at an odd angle across the ground.

Slowly, Vanessa struggled to her feet. She stepped closer, small details coming in clearly to her mind. What had seemed like a vaguely humanoid shape had turned into a very humanoid shape. After the limbs, she could see the defined build of a chest, and shoulders and hips. The left arm, upon closer inspection, seemed partly melted at the bend, thin strips of metal connecting it, many of the tubes that lay underneath torn and broken.

Plates of black and white metal, looking far too similar to armor, covered most of it's body. It was dirty, scrapes and dents covering the body. Caked dirt soiled it, and straw from the floor of the barn stuck to it's unmoving frame.

Again she stepped closer, for the first time in awhile completely dumbfound and awestruck and any other synonym that went with it. She could actually feel her legs shaking, adrenaline running unbidden through her veins. Her body was practically screaming 'run!' but her mind over rode the impulses.

Fear crept up her spine, and her breath came in pants. Still she moved forward. This was the unknown, this is what everyone looked for. It was frightening, it was strange, it was absolutely alien in every way possible and something was telling her that this was not safe. She had no right to be here. This was far bigger then she could handle, even someone like herself. Someone who said she could handle anything.

Yet still she kept on.

Vanessa was wide eyed, eyes trailing the figure before her. Several times she glanced back towards the entrance, her bodies bid for freedom, and winced slightly as if in preparation to run. Blood pounding in her ears, she was close enough to touch it without any idea how she'd gotten so close. The shape of a head peaked over the shoulders, and even with her height she craned to try and locate the eyes she knew were there.

The teen stood at its' right elbow. Slowly she stepped backwards, looking closely as her hand ghosted over its' arm. This was one of them, she knew it. This was the reason Mission City was destroyed. To hell with asking Sam anything. Curiosity warred with a trickle of fear, looking at the being beneath her hands. Her eyes flicked up to the head, searching for the eyes one last time, before gently touching her palm to the metal plating.

Then it all went to hell.

He'd been deep in recharge when he felt it. The damage on his leg was extensive, but not irreversible, and all his concentration had been focused towards getting the limb working. So focused that not even his sensors picked up when something entered the area. Only when the pressure on his functioning arm came to his awareness to did he come to attention.

Red optics blared to life. He looked down at the presence at his side. A human. A human _dared_ to touch him. Pressing its' filthy digits against him. Like LadiesMan217, so full of his limited intelligence to touch his hood. His processor flashed back to that, the hunt for Allspark. How he'd had the human that destroyed it right in his grasp, and those fool Autobots had helped him.

Helped him at every turn, and now it was lost.

How dare this creature, this filth, deign to be in his presence? It which represented everything he hated, all humans and earth alike. Was it here as a scout? A spy to destroy him? Wrath, pure undiluted, blinding in every way. He could taste it, feel it, burning through his systems almost painfully.

The beast looked up at him as he moved for the first time in joors. Wide eyed, it let out a terrified squeal turning and breaking for the entrance. It was graceless, legs falling away beneath as it tried to move against the dead stalks on the floor. Snarling, he swept outwards with his right hand as it tried to regain it's feet. A satisfying thud met his auditory receptors, a cry of pain, as the human flew through the air and slammed against the wall of his shelter. Moving slower then he would have liked, Barricade tested his legs as the ape moaned in the corner.

When it began to move, all she'd seen were red eyes. The fear that had beat softly in the background of her mind hit an amazing staccato, matching her heart with every pulse. Finally, her mind agreed with her body that it was time to go, and at the sight of the head turning and those eyes. Blood red and full of hate, hate that she'd never seen in her life. Hate directed at her.

Legs moving double time, she turned. But she only made it a few paces. The straw covering the floor provided no grip, and she slid banging her exposed knees. Panic, absolute panic was singing in her mind and the adrenaline that had been shivering through her limbs was free of all restrictions. But for the first time in her life, Vanessa wasn't fast enough.

Not fast enough.

Something large slammed against her side, and she couldn't help but cry out as she hit the wall of the barn. The sturdy walls that she'd just admired had become her enemy. Pain blossomed along her right side where she was struck, her left shoulder that had taken the brunt of the impact against he wall aching. A low moan escaped her. But that adrenaline was still racing and the pain faded into the background as she looked up towards the open door, the light outside like calling to her, screaming 'Freedom!'.

Vanessa crawled forward, kicking up straw as she gained her feet again. But she didn't have the chance to dart this time because something was around her like a vice. Suddenly, the ground was gone from beneath her, and she was face to face with the monster she'd just compared to a toy. It was like a nightmare gone wrong. A scream would have been picturesque, but the teen didn't have the breath to spare. Nor the mind.

_'Oh god, oh god, oh god…'_ was the mantra racing through every inch of her system.

Barricade sneered down at the human, a femme by the looks of it. She winced away from the display of his teeth, struggling wildly to try and break his grip. Her legs flailed, and she felt the hard metal as she hit his chest. Pain shot through her feet, but she repeated that action with vigor hoping to anything holy that she as hurting this thing. Her kicks were nothing more then annoyances though, all she did was make him more angry. With a roar, he tightened his grip, shaking the her roughly.

Vanessa thought her head was going to snap off. It was only a few seconds, but her world was tipping after what she was sure was an earthquake. Arms pinned to her sides, she was locked in the iron bands of this monsters grasp. She could feel its' grip tightening violently. From her shoulders to her thighs his hand spanned over her body. The sheer pressure had her near sobbing. It was getting harder and harder to breathe, and she halted any attempts at escape when it began to squeeze tighter.

With a satisfied growl he stopped the pressure, keeping it at the same level as he looked at the femme. Liquid, his scanners told him salt water, leaked from her optics. Terror shone on her face, and he held her farther away from his face plate. He didn't have the strongest nasal receptors but he knew the primal stink of fear. Some of his rage subsided, he decided questioning was in order. This was no spy, just a civilian.

"Why are you here?" he snarled.

Vanessa blanked. What ever it'd just said, her brain was translating like he'd spoken in Latin. It seemed to agree because after several seconds of silence - and her opening and closing her mouth like a fish - he began to shake her again. The grip around her tightened enough to have her let out another scream of pain, literally feeling her ribs bruise.

"I wont ask again fleshbag!" it roared "What is your title and purpose?!" it shook her again.

"Vanessa!" she screamed. The shaking stopped immediately, but her tongue seemed to have come unstuck.

"Vanessa Zeiz! That's my name and I was just out for a run so please, please don't kill me." she sobbed. Gone was the self-centered attitude.

"A run?" he growled.

The pressure around her ribs lessened slightly, and she took it as a good sign. Nodding fervently, she took a deep breath.

"Yeah, a run. I'm a runner and I was out training and I'm sorry I bothered you. So please, please you could let me go and I wouldn't tell anyone you're here or that I'd seen a giant alien robot and I'd never come back and all I want is to go I'll run the whole way if you want me too I don't live that far so if you could just put me down I'll -"

_"Silence!"_ he snarled.

The grip on her tightened again, and she swore that she heard her ribs cracking. Vanessa let out a low yell, redoubling her struggles for freedom. Panic was surging her system as she wiggled and squirmed almost violently.

"Let me go!" she wailed "You stupid fucking toaster, let me the hell go!"

Barricade's anger peaked again at her movements. She got on his nerves, her pathetic chatter along with her insults. Only humans, could be so presumptuous. Her screams began to get louder, her insults more creative, somehow mixed with pleas for freedom. She began to kick him again, and he held her farther away from him.

The little beast would have to be deactivated.

Nodding to himself, Barricade watched her struggles with the pleasure only a sadist could possess. He wasn't much for torture, Frenzy had been far more adept at that, but the rage in his systems felt good. Generally he preferred a more fair fight, maybe a chase thrown in. But he was smart mech, smart enough to realize the chances. And even the slimmest chance that she could get away wasn't good. So he'd have to deal with this himself.

Humans made such a mess when they died though.

He began to squeeze, watching the human give up all semblance of speech as it struggled mindlessly. It let fear take over it's systems and now it would pay. He could feel the bones of the creature in his hand begin to give, just barely, under the pressure as he spoke the last words the soft thing would hear.

"You will be terminated. It may hurt, I've don't know how you beasts work. I'm going to crush your spark though. Good-bye human."

It looked at him wide eyed for a moment before it began to scream and babble incoherently. He ignored it, beginning to put more stress on it's chest cavity, when he felt something warm trickle down his digits and across his arm. With disgust he realized the human, in it's fear, had lost control over it's bowels and was lubricating on him.

Disgusting.

With a roar, he released it with a flick of his wrist. Shaking his hand to remove the wetness, he heard another thud against the wall and knew where it had landed.

When it spoke, all she heard up to was 'crush' and her fear took over completely. All she could think about was her mother, who she hadn't called. Her brothers who she would never see grow up. Her brain, and she was pretty sure her mouth, were screaming 'No no no no!' and she couldn't get away. A warmth trickled down her leg, and a little part of her broke away from her fear long enough to be embarrassed.

_'Ugh. I _peed _on myself.'_ she thought, cheeks flushing further red.

But that didn't matter because she was flying through the air again. She didn't even have enough time to scream when she felt her skull slam against the wood and her world went dark.

Barricade looked down at the slumped body mildly before glancing outside. Something she'd said had bothered him, but he wasn't sure what. Scanners told him that she was alive, only in stasis. Fragile things, absolutely worthless. Glancing out the doorway, he growled to himself. The human would be down for awhile, first things first. He'd need to find out where he was and view his surroundings. Maybe he could find an easier way to dispose of the beast.

Until then, it could wait.

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**End Chapter**

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**AN**- Yes, this was planned. And it's my favorite chapter thus far ;D Edited very very very quickly, since I was in a rush. Excuse mistakes or gramatical errors. And don't give me 'ews' in review. I thought long and hard on this chapter, and anyone caught by something like Barricade would probably have a seizure.

Now, press the review button.


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